300,000 Homes: Where Would They Come From?

Portugal's housing minister, Miguel Pinto Luz, said last week that the housing tax package and the rental reform could bring around 300,000 homes onto the market. He was clear that the full number may not be reached. The idea behind it: many owners keep homes off the rental market because they are not confident letting them (idealista/news, 22 Oct 2026).

Where are these homes today?

The last Census gives a sense of scale. In 2021, Portugal had about 723,000 vacant homes, around 12% of all homes. Roughly 348,000 of those were already for sale or rent; the rest were empty for other reasons, such as inheritances or homes needing work. The country also had about 1.1 million second homes (INE, Censos 2021, via Observador).

The minister pointed to three groups: empty homes, second homes, and flats currently used for short-term rental (alojamento local). Not all of them are in the right place or the right condition to rent, which is one reason the target is an estimate, not a promise.

What is decided, and what isn't

The tax incentives are already approved. The rental reform is not: it passed a first vote in Parliament, but the detailed debate is only expected from late November. After that, the Government has up to 180 days to finalise the law, so it could take until summer 2027 (idealista/news, 21 Oct 2026). The proposals are contested, with opposition parties and consumer groups saying some changes would weaken tenants' position. The final text may look different.

Confidence works both ways

More homes for rent helps everyone looking for one. In our experience, what keeps a home rented for the long term is stability on both sides: tenants who know they can stay, and owners who know the home will be looked after. That is why our leases start at three years. And because many of the empty homes are in older buildings, the work matters too: before a home goes to a new tenant, we take the time to improve its condition wherever we can.

See the homes we have available at semprefixe.com/imoveis.

Sources

• idealista/news — Novas medidas podem pôr 300 mil casas no mercado, diz Pinto Luz (22 Oct 2026)
• Jornal de Negócios — Pinto Luz insiste que choque fiscal e mexidas nas rendas vão "desbloquear" 300 mil casas
• Observador — Portugal tem 723 mil casas vazias (INE, Censos 2021)
• idealista/news — Governo admite negociar lei das rendas com PS (21 Oct 2026)